European football chiefs Uefa have offered no comment on what Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel described as a “disastrous decision” by the on-field officials in the dying moments of their Champions League semi-final defeat by Real Madrid last night.
Polish referee Szymon Marciniak was quick to whistle after one of his assistants raised an offside flag, moments before Bayern’s Matthijs de Ligt struck what would have been an equaliser deep into stoppage time in the Spanish capital.
The stopping of play meant that VAR could not make a call on whether the goal should stand, although there is also the question of whether De Ligt would even have scored if Real’s defence had not appeared to stop for the whistle.
However, Tuchel took no comfort from that as his side blew the lead given to them midway through the second half by Alphonso Davies, losing 4-3 on aggregate to two late goals from former Stoke and Newcastle striker Joselu.
“They have a disastrous decision from the linesman and from the referee,” former Chelsea boss Tuchel told TNT Sports.
“So, it feels almost like a betrayal in the end because of that decision. It was a huge fight, we left everything on the pitch and we were almost there. Now we have to say congratulations to Real Madrid.
“The linesman said sorry, but that does not help. At that kind of level, to raise the flag in a decision like this, a close decision, in the last minute – and the referee as well.
“The referee does not have to whistle. He sees that we win the second ball, he sees that we get a shot away and to whistle is a very, very bad decision.
“And it is against the rules and it is a bad decision from both of them. It is a disaster. Tough to swallow, but that is the way it is.”
While there has been no clarification or comment from Uefa on Tuchel’s outburst, officials could point to the VAR protocols published by the International Football Association Board.
They state that an assistant referee’s offside flag should only be delayed “in a very clear attacking situation when a player is about to score a goal or has a clear run into/towards the opponents’ penalty area”.
Real Madrid’s win means they will now go on to face Borussia Dortmund in the final at Wembley on June 1, where they could lift the trophy for a record-extending 15th time.
Bayern – and England captain Harry Kane – are destined to finish the season without a trophy for the first time since 2012, after Bayer Leverkusen ended their 11-year domination of the Bundesliga.
The absence of any Premier League teams means that English officials Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor – both highly regarded by Uefa – could be in contention to referee the match.
The appointments for all three men’s club competition finals will be announced by Uefa on Monday.
Additional reporting by PA